Wilco
by YourHair'sOnFire
Summary: Wheatley gets a Christmas present for Chell. I had to write this, okay? Yes, I know it's crappy.


Wheatley walked into the pet shop, eyeing all of the animals closely. The store was playing calm rock music, and all of the animals were half asleep. The man behind the counter was looking at basball cards. He had dark ginger hair, a black t-shirt, and acid washed jeans. On the counter was a gallon of gasoline, for some reason. Wheatley smiled and walked up to the man.

"Hallo!" He said, catching the man's attention. He looked up from the cards, a bored expression on his face. Wheatley cleared his throat. "Um, why are you playing this music instead of Christ-whatever, music?" The man sighed and set down the cards.

"Because Wilco is better than all of that commercial crap," The man replied. His voice was very deep. "Plus, it's called Christmas. Anyway, what are you looking for?" Wheatley had no idea what any of these animals were called. Some were small and fluffy, with large muzzles and big eyes, complete with floppy ears. Others were also small and fluffy, but with small muzzles and whiskers, complete with perked up ears. Wheatley almost guessed a name.

"What's the gallon of gasoline for?" Wheatley asked. The man set it behind the counter hastily.

"A project," he replied calmly. He stood up and looked at an animal. "You interested in dogs?"

The first thing that came into Wheatley's mind was 'So THAT'S what they're called!' but he went with a different reply. "I-Is that what a woman would like?" The man smirked.

"You buying something for your girl?" he asked. Wheatley went red in the face. He fiddled with his ever present tie and stuttered.

"Well-I, um, s-she's not exactly my girl, really, but yes, I am getting something for her, yes," Wheatley answered nervously. The man shrugged.

"Well, what do YOU think she'd like? Is a person who'd like cats, or dogs?" Wheatley shrugged.

"I want to get her a nice animal, something that would be really low key." The man raised an eyebrow. "Like something small and calm, maybe not anything too energetic or strong," The man smiled.

"I might have something for you in the back room," He said, smirking. "Oh, by the way, you should tie a mistletoe to this little guy's collar. Just a suggestion," Wheatley nodded, ignorant to what a mistletoe was.

* * *

Chell looked at the tree, waiting for Wheatley to come back. Christmas day, and all she had gotten him was a measly blue jumper. She growled at her own stupidity. Suddenly she heard the door open, and Wheatley stepped in with his coat huddled around something in his arms.

"Hallo!" He said, his voice more excited than usual. Chell smiled. "So, I got something for you! You might not like it, though. When you're ready, just pull away the coat," Chell bit her lip and pulled the coat away. In Wheatley's arms there was a small pekingese puppy. It was thin and not very fluffy. You could see its ribs. If you looked closey, he was shaking. He lifted his head, and his eyes were huge and pleading. He looked at Chell and whimpered and hid his head in Wheatley's arms again.

Chell cupped her hands over her mouth as tears entered the corners of her eyes. Wheatley's smile faltered. "Er, is everything, oh, you don't like it, do you? I should've thought as well." Chell ignored him and reached for the pup. He lifted his head and let out sharp yips. He only had one tooth. Chell picked him up, and his paws batted at her arm.

"Shhhh..." Chell whispered as she sat down on the couch. Wheatley stared at her. Chell calmed the puppy down by petting it and humming softly. The yipping ceased, and the pup's eyes drifted closed. Chell smiled and continued to pet it. When it's breathing became soft she looked up at Wheatley. "What's his name?" She whispered. Wheatley was stunned.

"Uhmm..." he stuttered. "The-the bloke at the shop named 'im Jeff Tweedy, but we can just call 'im Jeff, or-or Tweedy." Chell nodded.

"I like Tweedy," she said. "You know what? Let's just call him Wilco. I like the name Wilco." Wheatley nodded and sat by her.

"I-I also like Wilco," he said. At this point she found Wilco's collar. She slowly turned it around careful not to wake him. She saw the mistletoe and looked at Wheatley. He went red for some reason and fiddled with his tie. "Th-The bloke at the shop told me to put it there, and he loaned me one. It's not poisonous, is it?" Suddenly, Chell grabbed his tie and kissed him.

Wheatley didn't know how long this kiss lasted, but he didn't care. It was broken by the dog yipping suddenly, and Chell let go of Wheatley's tie and tended to the dog. "It's okay, Wilco," she cooed. "Sorry to disturb you, it's just your collar and a really handsome distraction," Wheatley blushed and smiled. He put an arm around Chell and they enjoyed the Christmas evening.


End file.
